Reflections on the Obama Trip to Europe

A friend wrote this morning, "The headline should read - Obama talks peace and plans for war."

At the 60th anniversary NATO celebrations President Obama begged for more troops in Afghanistan from alliance member nations. They urged him forward but few countries offered help.

Then in Prague Obama called for the world to get rid of its nuclear weapons. Very commendable.

The Washington Post reported this morning that, "For those worried about a unilateral American disarmament, Obama promised that the country would keep enough nuclear weapons to defend itself and its allies as long as the weapons existed in other nations....He also reiterated his pledge to install a missile defense system in Eastern Europe as long as Iran poses a possible nuclear threat to the region."

Iran? We know Iran is no threat and scientists have long been telling us that Star Wars bases in Poland and the Czech Republic would not be capable of intercepting missiles from Iran....but they could intercept missiles from Russia.......

So the crucial message was delivered.....Star Wars technology will still likely be developed and put into Poland and the Czech Republic, using Iran as the excuse to cover larger US ambitions of surrounding Russia with the technology.

Here is the deal....

* Some years ago Gen. Charles Horner (the former commander of the US Space Command) became an advocate for getting rid of US nuclear weapons. His rationale was that they were an "outdated military technology" that would never be used thus wasting alot of money that could be put into other kinds of useable new weapons systems like Star Wars.

* The US has a public relations problem as we lecture Iran and North Korea about the evils of nukes but we have plenty of our own. So to regain some semblance of credibility around the globe the US has to show some movement. This is why Henry Kissinger became a proponent of getting rid of nukes.

* US strategy to surround Russia and China with "missile defense" systems only works if you first get those countries to get rid of a bunch of their nukes thus lessening their ability to have a "robust deterrent capability" after they are hit with the US first-strike system now under development. And it is obvious from Obama's words in Prague that he intends to continue developing the "missile defense" system that Bush proposed to deploy in Poland and the Czech Republic. According to French media, " U.S. President Barack Obama reassured Warsaw over concerns that Washington might scrap a planned missile base in Poland which has angered Russia, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said Saturday."

* I worked on Jimmy Carter's successful campaign in 1976 largely because he said over and over again that "the nuclear arms race was a disgrace to the human race." Also very commendable. Then as president Mr. Carter proceeded to build the Kings Bay Naval submarine base in St. Marys, Georgia for the Trident II nuclear system.

* So I've been somewhat tempered by promises from politicians over the years. I now listen for the nuances in their language.....things like this from Obama in Prague, "This goal will not be reached quickly -- perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence." And it certainly won't be reached in President Obama's lifetime if he insists on moving forward with Star Wars and "missile defense" systems - especially deployed upon Russia and China's doorstep. Let's face the facts here, Obama is not a stupid man. He understands that these space technology systems very well could be show stoppers. With that in mind, then why would he still pursue them?

In the end the question remains how much will really change? Obama is doing an effective job of "changing the tone" and showing "humility" on the world stage as a way of atoning for Bush's more hard-edged bad cowboy talk. But at the same time Obama is skillfully revealing that he has the ability to repackage US empire building policies in a new kinder and gentler way, but still achieving the same results. One Brookings Institution analyst told the Washington Post, "the 'hard edge of policy' in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where unlike some European allies Obama has not signaled a willingness to talk to the armed Islamist group Hamas, the president's policy and goals have not changed much from those of his predecessor."

So for me this is what I am watching and trying to interpret - yes I see the rebranding of the product going on, but I am also watching the actions that follow the nice talk.

In words that Mr. Obama would understand, I am keeping my eyes on the bouncing basketball.

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seems to be key, because if Iran could force Obama to admit that it was not a threat (to whatever it is supposedly a threat to), then Obama might be forced to kep his word and end the missile offense construction, and if that happened then Russia might be interested in negotiating disarmament

Iran has already Complied with IAEA and the Obama-Mantra that Iran must not seek nuclear weapons, allowing nuclear research for peaceful aims, and subject to international inspection. Iran can prove NOW that there is NO THREAT on condition that Israel PROVES LIKEWISE... Who will show their arms to trusted Americans? Russia will HELP SOLVE the intermediary crisis in no-time flat.

Key to opening up the Iranian Nuke issue is opening Israel's nuke issue. Fight with us David, the geographical Israel is not necessarily the same as the symbolic Israel. Unfortunately for comics, this issue ends with a Big Wilt in that all parties gain consensus, INCLUDING ISRAEL.

Indeed, as Obama appears on more and more stages across the global power-spectrum, the ball is bouncing.

Obama was "anti-war" 'til it came to "withdrawal".

Withdrawal is a matter of securing WMD's and Ordering a March of Every American Soldier, not tomorrow, this afternoon!

Obama was for "accountability" 'til it came to Bush Crimes.

Accountability is a matter of Public Justice Executed by an Impartial Jury of Peers, not more, not less.

Obama was for "Health Care for All" 'til it came to AIG.

Too big to fail is too big to succeed... We're talking Public Service, which is Government Enterprise, not Private!

Obama was for "Transparent Interactive Governance" 'til it came to answering the change.gov website demand for decriminalizing cannabis.

Three different rounds of change.gov constituent questions propelled cannabis legalization/decriminalization to the top of change.gov lists by margins, and while Obama played the "internet lunacy card" finally in his formal response, he did nothing of the sort to answer the many benefits to Public Coffers, Incarceration Numbers, Safety Factors, or Black-Marketeering charges presented by the questioners. He played the Establishment Card.

Obama was for "abolishing" Guantanamo 'til outrageous legal claims against the US surfaced.

International Treaties are only "pieces of paper", and they're not campaign promises or humane principles enshrined in history...

Obama was for "unity" 'til it struck consensus with the neocon-wing of the Democratic and Republican parties of the US.

Never mind progressive values of Freedom, energy independence, non-interventionist military and foreign policy, accountability to international law and transparency, cater to the opposite values of the thoroughly debunked criminal cabal of repuiblican rightwingers.

Obama was for a "Two-State" solution to the Palestinian problem 'til it came to AIPAC...

US "unwavering" support means Palestinians (and Iran) be Damned!

Now we see for ourselves that Obama's become not more than a PAWN in the power-elite, making occasional apologies for western tyranny while broadening its initiatives across every US Federal Reach. After all, NATO just APPROVED the US Afghan PIPELINE PRIORITY to secure its moral mission in the region.

*!*!*WE NEED A SYSTEM DUMP*!*!*

This is unfortunately tied into the $$Trillion$$ in American Inflation being pumped into the Criminal Cabal's Pockets that Obama Decided to do with the same financial wizards responsible for the initial theft...

Americans be Damned

Up Hill, Up Wall, We, the People can hardly do worse than the current System!

This surrepetitious thrust of the current foreign policy is no different than the last. You can denuclearize all the MAD bombs but you can't change the fact the 50 calibers, the 303's, 223's have put more guys in pine boxes than the political and physical nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, our greatest USA Shame (for which we should apologize profusely). The Waste of Banner Worship, Warcries of the Nationalist...are meaningless at the grave.

We must change Trade Agreements to Trade Laws then the courts will have set rules to govern, not the gray slippery slopes they won't deal with; And then we OUT LAW ARMS TRADE outside of our US borders. And this will help eliminate the biggest cause of warring bloodshed = US Arms manufacturers and tradesmen.

What your giving us is NOT Change Mr. President. Bring home all the 50 calibers and 7.62's ...but we both know that talk like rounding up all the equipment will take time before we can assemble yada yada, we both know it will cost less to replace it new here than to drag the desert sands of Iraq back in steel junk... and just a few inches beneath the first lay of sands is the only reason we are there but it's Wrong, that's not our oil under their sand.Spike the Cannons and destroy whatever the enemy can use and RETURN TO BASE.

The same goes for Afghanistan, Leave it to the world and bring the troops home... The military is meant to take and hold ground not be used for a police dept or a training squad. GET OUT of Afghanistan. We have more reason to be in Saudi Arabia than in Afghanistan.

And Call Attn Gen Attny Holder and tell him to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate the US Constitutional transgressions of the Bush Crime Family.

I'm not usually so persuaded Darwin26, but your foreign policy and military equations made my night.

I noted in my post above that withdrawal was merely a matter of "securing WMD's and Marching" to the border... "not tomorrow, this afternoon"... Colin Powell used the phrase first. I'm sick of stonewalled truth!

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